Infrared & Optical

Consumer Infrared (CIR) is a line-of-sight optical wireless communication standard utilizing near-infrared light (typically 940 nm or 880 nm) modulated on a 36 kHz to 56 kHz subcarrier (38 kHz nominal). Governed by established encoding protocols (NEC, Philips RC-5/RC-6, Sony SIRC), it is the global standard for televisions, audio systems, and HVAC remote controls.

IrDA is a point-to-point, line-of-sight optical data transmission standard developed by the Infrared Data Association. Operating at 850–900 nm over distances up to 1 meter, it evolved from 115.2 kbps Serial Infrared (SIR) to 4 Mbps Fast Infrared (FIR) and 16 Mbps Very Fast Infrared (VFIR) for wireless printing, laptop file exchange, and mobile synchronization.

Light Fidelity (Li-Fi, standardized under IEEE 802.11bb in 2023) is a high-speed, bidirectional, fully networked optical wireless communication (OWC) technology. Utilizing invisible infrared (800–1000 nm) or visible LED light emitters, it transmits data at multi-gigabit speeds with zero radio frequency (RF) emissions, immune to electromagnetic interference.

Ultra-Wideband (UWB) is a short-range radio communication technology standardized under IEEE 802.15.4z and governed by the FiRa Consortium and Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC). Operating across 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz with channel bandwidths of ≥ 500 MHz, it utilizes picosecond-duration pulses to measure Time-of-Flight (ToF) and Angle-of-Arrival (AoA), delivering centimeter-level spatial tracking and relay-attack immune digital car keys.